6 Ways To Boost Your Fertility According to The Fertility and Gynecology Academy
Looking to boost your fertility – here are some good ways to do so according to The Fertility and Gynecology Academy
1. Eat Healthily
Focusing on a well-balanced diet plan and eating healthy plays a crucial role in boosting one’s reproductive health and overall well-being. Eating healthy entails choosing wholesome foods, including fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats, over processed foods. Most of these foods contain compounds and properties needed to make ovulation regular in women. Some of these foods, including beans, tofu, and several other legumes, help trigger consistent egg production, a reason you might want to have these at least once a day. Full-fat dairy products (whole milk and yogurt) are a good idea too.
You’ll also want to avoid processed foods loaded with refined carbs and sugars. High-carb foods can impact the body’s ability to produce insulin and testosterone. These hormones are essential for improved fertility. Foods rich in omega fatty acids are also a must when looking to boost your fertility. Cod, salmon, mackerel, salmon, other fatty fish, nuts, and eggs are some of the best sources of healthy omega fatty acids. Omega fatty acids help improve blood flow and encourage egg production.
Your diet plan should also contain healthy sources of vitamins and minerals. Calcium and iron, for example, are essential for strong bones and increased blood production. You’d thus need to get/eat plenty of these to encourage improved blood and oxygen circulation. Pumpkin seeds, beans, beets, and tomatoes are thus a must-have in every meal.
2. Keep Fit
In addition to eating healthy, experts recommend keeping fit by ensuring you aren’t overweight or underweight. According to research, overweight and underweight women are less likely to get pregnant than those with the recommended BMI. It is also worth noting that being underweight or obese may affect your menstruation cycles, making them irregular. That said, a BMI of between 20 and 24 is ideal for getting pregnant.
While you can still get pregnant when overweight/obese, the risk of not conceiving is considerably high. The excess fatty tissues in the body often overburden the body with excess estrogen, creating a false-positive pregnancy as well as affecting ovulation. Some types of birth control may also force the body to skip ovulation, making it harder to conceive. Unknown to many, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is synonymous with obese women and a potential cause of infertility. It can also affect pregnancy, with an increased risk of high blood pressure, spina bifida, heart defects, and even type 2 diabetes.
Underweight women also have a high risk of being infertile. This is because their body cannot produce enough estrogen to support a pregnancy. It is also a reason for fertility issues and irregular periods in slim or underweight women.
3. Quit Alcohol And Smoking
Recreational marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol have been shown to have a significant (adverse) effect on a woman’s reproductive health. Studies show that drinking daily increases the risk of irregular ovulation and harm the fetus should one get pregnant. Having as little as a glass of beer/alcohol per week is bad enough to harm the fetus or make it impossible to conceive.
Cigarettes, recreational marijuana, and alcohol affect the reproductive system, causing irregular ovulation or even no ovulation. Chemical compounds found in cigarettes and marijuana, for example, inhibit the healthy production of eggs and affect sperm quality in men. Unlike men, women only have a set number of eggs that they can produce in their lifetime. If these are affected, your hope of ever getting pregnant is greatly reduced. This is one of the reasons doctors and health experts discourage drinking and smoking, especially for women.
4. Take Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins/supplements are meant to supplement the body with essential vitamins and nutrients needed for conceiving and fetal growth. These supplements contain a higher concentration of folic acid, a crucial compound needed before and during pregnancy. Your doctor will also prescribe folic acid supplements to help boost your fertility and chances of getting pregnant.
Vitamin D is essential for boosting fertility in both women and men. It is a key ingredient in the production of testosterone in men and estrogen in women. A vitamin D deficiency can be a reason for not getting pregnant. Basking in the morning sun or taking Vitamin D supplements may help.
5. Drink Lots of Water
Water is life. Limiting your intake of sugary beverages and sodas in favor of pure water is a ticket for improved reproductive health. Drinking lots of water helps keep the body hydrated and cells turgid. A well-hydrated body encourages balanced pH in the female’s reproductive duct, enabling sperm to swim easily toward the egg. It also promotes increased cervical mucus production for improved viscosity for these sperms. It is also worth noting that dehydration may reduce the chances of sperm getting to the egg for fertilization or even affect the proper development of the embryo.
6. Avoid Stress
Good mental health plays a crucial role in one’s reproductive health. While you might know this already, stress triggers abnormal hormone production and levels, which again causes irregular cycles. If you have been trying to conceive to no avail, try to keep stress at bay. Allowing your brain to calm down and relax may be all you need to create the perfect environment to conceive.
If you have concerns a fertility test can confirm if there are any issues that could need resolving.